


Summer, 1995.

by winter_writer15



Category: MCU, Marvel, Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies), The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types
Genre: Awesome Carol Danvers, Bisexual Brunnhilde | Valkyrie (Marvel), Bruce Banner/Brunnhilde | Valkyrie Friendship, Carol Danvers & Tony Stark Friendship, F/F, Minor Bruce Banner/Betty Ross, Minor Brunnhilde | Valkyrie/Thor (Marvel), Minor Carol Danvers/James "Rhodey" Rhodes, Multi, Other, POV Brunnhilde | Valkyrie (Marvel), Slow Burn, Strangers to Lovers, Summer Romance, Useless Lesbians, useless bisexuals
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-04-21
Updated: 2019-07-01
Packaged: 2020-01-23 13:28:07
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 8,822
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18550711
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/winter_writer15/pseuds/winter_writer15
Summary: After money troubles threaten Val Thompson's idyllic life in rural Italy, she is forced to open her home to an art student for the summer. Is this the push she needs to open her heart to love again? Or will she remain stuck as her now-emotionally stunted self for the rest of her days?





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I'm back guys! I realised my lack of inspiration was because I was forcing myself to only write one ship (don't get me wrong I still LOVE WandaNat but I just needed something new) so i decided to write my other favourite wlw mcu ship - ValCarol!!! This fic is based very, very loosely on Call Me By Your Name but really I just took that setting and some very minor plot points so I can't really say it's an exact replica but I hope you all enjoy nonetheless!

The heat was sweltering, the humidity almost suffocating Val Thompson as she sat, splayed out on the metal chair on her balcony. Ever summer she swore that it had never been warmer but every summer she welcomed the burning rays on her brown skin. Restricting her movements to the point where she stirred only to swat small flies away with the cheap romance novel that she was only slightly paying attention to. Even through the thick, browned out lenses of her glasses the sun was still managing to blind her and she gave up squinting at the words on the page and threw her head back and closed her eyes, her neck welcoming the sudden rush of warmth. A small bead of sweat began to trickle down her forehead but she didn’t have the energy to wipe it away so she left it, slowly moving it’s was down her cheek and disappearing onto the dip in her clavicle, this was the life – half sitting, half lying on a rusty iron chair that left criss-cross patterns on her thighs as she slipped in and out of conciseness underneath the Italian sun. Val wouldn’t dream of being anywhere else, the only con of the whole situation was that she wasn’t going to be comfortable in her isolation for much longer. Money had become tight and for the first year since she bought the small villa, she had been forced to rent it out to a lodger.

Not much was known about who was coming to live in her home that summer, but the woman had been thoroughly endorsed by one of Val’s old friends back in New York. Banner had a very good taste in character after all, and Thompson guessed it would be better to have someone stay who had mutual friends so at least they could make small talk, rather than attempt to find common interests with a complete stranger. Then again, the guest wasn’t arriving until tomorrow afternoon – Val almost had a whole day of freedom left and she was going to live it to the max…by staying exactly where she was until she physically couldn’t any longer. Val liked being alone, she had moved halfway across the world because she liked it so much. At least that was the excuse she told those who asked her, the real reason was far more tragic and depressing and she had decided that it certainly wasn’t appropriate dinner conversation.

Val lived a fifteen minute bicycle ride from town, she had no neighbours and the only real road to and from her home was a medium sized dirt path through the woods on the east of the villa, if you went on the smaller, barely-visible path to the west you were a three minute walk from a small sanded area she liked to think had become her own private beach. The only regular visitor she had was the mailman who would come once a week with letters from her friends telling her they missed her and asking if she would please cut out this nonsense and come back to reality. This was her reality now, she would write back, she wasn’t coming back and she was happy where she was. They persisted nonetheless.

The small growl in the pit of her stomach told her it was dinner time so Val reluctantly peeled herself from her chair and stuck a tattered piece of ribbon in her book to mark her page, leaving it on the side table before grabbing her thin kaki robe from the back of the chair and pulling it over her shoulders. Stretching and picking up her empty wine glass, she padded barefoot through her bedroom on the cold tiles and downstairs towards her small kitchen, being extra careful on the step second from the bottom as she knew it was on its final days and she could definitely not afford to hire a carpenter right now.

Pulling out her usual Orvieto, she poured the rest of it into her already used glass and frowned slightly when she realised that she had reached the end of the bottle – oh well, she was due another trip into town to buy groceries anyway. Squatting down, Val opened the door to her tiny fridge to see that it was practically empty, bar some slices of cold meat and a half-eaten block of cheese. Bringing out the cheese Val prayed she at least had some bread so she could make a sandwich, sadly lady luck was not on her side and she remembered she had finished her last loaf that morning. However, she almost cried with joy as she remembered she had a packet of wheat crackers in the cupboard above the stove.

-

The sun had set an hour ago now, the deep blue seemingly stretched for an eternity in front of her as Val stood in her balcony that night. Her arms leaning on the rusting metal railing as she took a long draw of her cigarette, the head rush hitting her almost immediately like it always did as she exhaled and watched as the silver smoke danced away into nothingness. Her home sat on a slight hill, meaning that she could see the twinkling lights of the town in the distance on a clear night. Every night Val stood out on that balcony and decided that she would try and go into town more, socialise with the locals, maybe even make some friends, this night was no different except in her heart she knew she wasn’t going to do it.

Maybe she was destined to be alone. She certainly was good at it, isolation suited her and she didn’t have a need to extend her social life beyond polite ‘hello’s and ‘thank you’s whenever she happened to bump into the mailman or if she was buying that week’s wine supply.  She had used up all her friend-making skills back in New York, she liked her life there but it was over, no need to repeat the past. Looking down at the ground below, she noticed a familiar looking ginger cat prowling round her rosebush and furrowed her brows as it looked back up at her, she was trying to say ‘don’t you dare piss on my flowers’ and she was pretty sure he understood because he sulked off into the trees at the bottom of her garden like he always did. Smirking at her victory, Val took one last draw and crushed the end of her cigarette into the disused flowerpot next to her foot.

Letting her robe fall to the floor, she slid underneath the sheet on her bed and let out a sigh. Staring up at the slowly revolving ceiling fan all Val could think about was how the next night a stranger would be sleeping in the room across the hallway, how her tranquil heaven would be disturbed and she wouldn’t regain her peace and quiet for another six weeks. It was going to be hell and Val Thompson knew it.

-

The denim overalls that she had picked out weren’t going to work out. It was far hotter today than she had anticipated. Val was going to have to go with the summer dress. Pale blue and covered with drawings of tiny lavender bunches, it was the dress she wore if anyone was going to see her during the day – her good dress, this woman better fucking appreciate it. In total, Val Thompson owned three pairs of shoes, wedges with a thick brown leather strap across her foot that she only wore on special occasions (fair to say they hadn’t been worn yet), a pair of grey sneakers and light brown sandals she wore if she was going down to the beach. Val decided she wanted to give this woman the impression that she had her shit together so she chose the sandals, the thin straps snaking across her feet as she zipped them at the ankle. Taking a look at herself in the mirror, she realised she hadn’t put this much effort into herself in a while, months at least, realistically since she moved her three years ago. Three years is a long time not to care about yourself, she thought to herself before shaking the thought out of her head – today was not the day for personal revelations.

Looking at the ever-ticking clock hanging on the wall by the door, Val estimated she had around half an hour before her guest arrived. Strangely nervous, she trapped her fingers on the edge of her dresser before beginning to pace around her bedroom. In an instant she had forgotten almost everything she knew about the woman coming to stay, so in a frantic attempt to memorise important details like names and the like Val darted to her desk drawer where she kept the letters her friends had sent. Bruce’s pile was the biggest of course, he was her closest friend and it was him who had told her about her new housemate. Scanning the letter dated the 3rd of March 1995 she read:

_Val,_

_You last wrote to me about your money issues and while I will continue to offer to lend you some, I know your stubborn ass would rather die in poverty than accept my help. So, I have found someone who you could rent your spare room out to for the summer, and I know this won’t be exactly up your ally but trust me Val this is a good idea. Six weeks and then you’ve got the rest of the year all to yourself, I am confidant you can survive it._

_Her name is Carol Danvers, she’s a close friend of Betty’s but I’ve only met her a handful of times, she seems nice enough. I actually think you’ll quite like her, she’s got your dry wit and I’m 99% sure she may be able to outdrink you but you’ll have to find out for me. A few weeks ago, Betty and I had her over for dinner and I mentioned that you were living like a hermit in Italy and Carol told me that she’s trying to get into some prestigious art school or something and was dying for an opportunity to getaway and focus on her painting for a while. She was planning to go to Rome or Paris but said she could barely afford it so I thought maybe she could stay with you. I won’t bring it up to her unless you’re okay with it but I think this could be really good for you both, I’m sure a little company wouldn’t kill you._

_Think about it,_

_Bruce._

_P.S (I think Ingrid would have liked this idea, she would’ve hated the idea of you being on your own over there and you know it)_

The last line was enough for Val to angrily shove the letter beck into its envelope and back into the drawer, blinking away the threat of tears she steadied her breath and looked up to her paint-cracked ceiling.

“I know, he’s right, but he can’t ever know that okay? Don’t you dare tell him.” The ghost of a smile on her lips as she wiped her eyes and gently slapped her cheeks to try and get herself out of her mood. Everything would be fine, everything is always fine, she is always fine.

Just as she was starting to wonder if she could fit in a quick power nap before Carol Danvers arrived, she heard the rare sound of tyres on the gravel at the front of her house and knew there was no going back now – her guest was here. Looking at herself in the mirror one final time she practised her ‘welcome to my home’ smile before half running/half walking down the stairs towards the mostly unused front door. Opening it with her fake smile plastered on her lips as she saw a slender looking blonde woman with a pale complexion pull a battered looking case out of the trunk of the taxi she had arrived in. Waving it off before turning to lock eyes with the homes owner and smiling widely and extending her free hand as she walked towards the front steps.

“Hi, I’m Carol.” She took Val’s hand and shook it firmly, her skin was smooth and Val could tell she had put hand cream on in the taxi ride over because of the subtle scent of lavender hitting her nose – not that she was complaining, she loved the smell of lavender.

“Val, it’s nice to finally meet you, Bruce has told me a lot about you.” Without even noticing, her once false smile evolved into a genuine one, her first real smile in a while. It was certainly a strange feeling.

“All good things I hope.” Carol looked behind Val at the villa she would be spending the next few weeks. “What a beautiful home you have here.”

“Oh, the insides a mess I’ll apologise in advance. When there’s nobody to nag you about tidiness you stop noticing.” She suddenly regretted not making an effort to at least dust the place.

“Trust me, my place at home is probably worse.” Val laughed a polite laugh, offering to take Carol’s bag, only for the woman to say she could manage. Carol was certainly nice, maybe the next two months wouldn’t be so bad after all.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> okay so basically i was writing this chapter and i realise even though i had Carol as my POV character, i was making her character more like Val so basically i switched them around so CAROL IS NOW THE HOUSE GUEST AND VAL IS OUR POV CHARACTER!!!! I fixed the last chapter to fit this so if you're a new reader you can just ignore this but if you read the first chapter and are confused as to why Carol isn't our POV anymore, that's why :)  
> enjoy!

Closing her front door behind her new guest, Val Thompson silently thanked the God’s for sending her somebody bearable to stay with her that summer, in her mind she had been picturing a pretentious art student who constantly looked down her nose at other people because they didn’t drink a certain type of tea. Carol seemed like she would be a relatively alright housemate though, she smiled a lot – something that usually would have irritated Val but for some reason it only made her smile too, something she didn’t do too often.

“Through there is the kitchen, I don’t have any food in just now though so I’ll probably have to go into town later on.” She gestured to the door directly in front of her before pointing to the space through the arched doorway on her right. “And that’s the living room, TV doesn’t work unless you hit it once or twice but there’s a radio if you want to listen to music, I actually don’t think it’s been played once since I moved here.”

“Well I’m sure I can fix that, I love music.” Carol smirked. “How long have you lived here?”

“Just over three years. Watch the second step, it needs fixed.” Val stopped Carol suddenly to explain this before stepping gently over the damaged plank of wood and carrying on upstairs, the other woman lugging her suitcase up behind her.

“Bathroom is at the end of the hall there.” Val pointed. “My bedroom is there and yours is just here.” She opened the door on her left, noticing how it creaked and sighing as she was reminded her house was falling apart around her. “It’s not much I’m afraid.”

Val wasn’t lying. Carol’s room had barely been entered in years so if it wasn’t for Val’s brisk sweep of the room a few days before it would have been so coated in dust you would have struggled to see what was what. Across from the door was a large window that looked down onto the driveway and down the path into the forest towards town, against the wall on the right was a queen bed in an old wooden bed frame that she had bought for €30 from an elderly man in town when she first moved here, for all the times her friends were going to come over and visit…fair to say it had never been slept in. There was a paint-chipped dresser on the left wall next to Val and she lent on it, slightly embarrassed by the state of the situation, as Carol placed her case on the bed and glanced around her room.

“It’s perfect, just what I needed.” She grinned her infectious grin again as she locked eyes with Val across the room. The silence stayed in the air for a few moments, neither knowing quite what to say, until Val remembered something.

“I need to go into town, get supplies. You’re welcome to tag along.” She crossed her arms and attempted to look unbothered by whatever Carol’s answer would be, scratching her nails slightly on her skin as she did so.

“Sure, that sounds like a good idea, give me an idea of the area.” She made perfect sense of course, Val thought, she seemed like the type of girl who was always right about everything.

“Can you ride a bike?”

-

The trees sped past as Val allowed herself to slide down the slight slope towards the houses that signalled the start of civilisation. She has found an old red bike in the shed at the bottom of her garden for Carol to ride, secretly she was shocked it didn’t fall apart within a second of movement. Every minute or so she would glance behind her to see if the other woman was still there and she always was, riding gracefully down the path with a smile across her face with her hands gripped tightly onto the handlebars.

They slowed as they reached the cobbled streets, Carol following Val as the brunette weaved through alleyways towards the small grocers on the right side of the main town square. A statue of a woman stood proudly in the centre, made of marble it was probably the most expensive thing in a thirty-mile radius and it had remained remarkably unscathed for the past century or so since the town itself had been formed. Val hopped off her bike and balanced the busted blue bike against the fence around the marble, she turned to see Carol do the same thing, somehow far more gracefully than her., before starting towards the store.

“You’re just going to leave the bikes here?” Carol called behind her as she jogged a little to catch up.

“Why wouldn’t I?” Val replied, stepping through the doorway into the slightly cooler room, a single fan rotating furiously on the ceiling.

“Aren’t you scared someone might steal them?”

“You’ve been spending too much time in New York.” Val laughed a shallow laugh, heading straight for the bread and picking up two loaves.

“I know I have, that’s why I came here.” Carol offered her arms for the bread and Val handed them over, she needed more arm space for the wine.

“What’s your poison?” She asked, picking up three bottles of her favourite Orvieto and cradling them tight to her chest.

“I don’t actually drink that much.” Carol’s delivery was almost sheepish as Val noticed a faint blush began to spread over her once pale cheeks.

“Not a bad thing. You can always have some of mine.”

-

The once glaring sun had fallen behind the trees, leaving the sky a dull lilac and the air slightly cooler. The birds had begun to stop singing as Val sat on the garden chair that had begun to rust a little on its legs, half empty glass of wine in one hand, burning cigarette in the other, she watched intently as the ginger cat prowled around the bushes at the end of her lawn. This had become a fairly regular occurrence; she hadn’t decided on what to name it yet but Val was quite happy just watching it sniff around the patches of wildflowers. Usually she would be staring at the cat from her balcony but she had been entertaining her guest at dinner and they had made their way out to the small patio to finish the bottle.

“Is he yours?” She heard Carol ask in a soft voice in the chair beside her, the blonde was also watching the cats every move.

“Don’t know if it is a ‘he’, it just shows up most night.” She took a drag, tapping her ask into the glass ashtray on the table between the two women before returning her gaze to the one beginning to scratch at a tree.

“Oh, it’s a he. I’m certain. His head bigger than a female, and his fur looks thicker.” Val sat back and nodded her head as if she knew this all along and was just testing Carol.

“How do you know so much about cats?” She asked, casually of course.

“I had an aunt who had loads of them, you just learn to know the difference.” Carol shrugged her pale shoulders that had already began turning slightly brown after being in the sun for just one afternoon.

They remained in silence for a moment before the ginger decided he had gotten bored in the garden and slunk off into the grass. Val’s eyes turned to see that the pair had drank their way through almost the whole bottle of wine and decided to pour the last dribble into her own glass – Danvers wasn’t must of a drinker anyway.

“The bottle’s empty.” She sighed, quickly tipping the remainder of her glass into her mouth and swallowing before Carol could even turn her head.

“I’ve had enough anyway.” A polite smile. “I might call it a night.”

“Me too.”

The two women stood up, Val telling Carol to just leave her glass where it was, she’ll clear up tomorrow. So, they both started inside with Carol swaying side to side just enough so that Val noticed. Unfortunately for both of them however, Carol had forgotten Val’s warning about the second step and put a foot on it, causing the plank of wood to collapse completely and leaving a gap in the staircase.

“Shit! I’m sorry.” She gasped, a look of regret painted across her face, both of them standing like statues for a few seconds before Val burst into laughter, quickly followed by Carol’s giggles and for at least five whole minutes the pair of them stood in the dark hallway in fits.

“It’s okay, I can call a handyman tomorrow.” Val almost shouted through her cries, trying her best to maintain steady breaths until the burning had left her chest.

“Are you sure? I can still pay for it?” Carol absentmindedly wiped a stay tear from her cheek, the worried look beginning to appear on her face again.

“You can pay for the next bottle of wine as repayment.” She shot a wink Carols way before making her way up the stairs, stepping over the gaping hole.

They reached their doorways, standing across from each other for the last time that night they shared a smile and whispered ‘goodnight’s before slipping into their respective rooms and into their respective beds.

As her head hit the pillow, Val’s grin was still on her lips. She closed her eyes, wanting to slap herself for being so worried about all this – Carol was perfectly nice, things weren’t awkward, it wasn’t going to affect her in any way whatsoever. She was even sure that Ingrid would have liked h- no. We aren’t going there, she thought to herself as she pushed both the women far from her mind and began to drift into a fitful sleep.

-

The knock at the door was loud and echoed throughout the house. Carol and Val sat outside, a small pile of toast sitting on a plate on the table between them. Carol was sipping on a coffee and had begun lazily sketching something in the brown leather notebook she had brought with her. Val had a cigarette hanging between her fingers with her eyes closed, the sun wasn’t quite above her yet but she could still enjoy the warm air on her skin and had even begun to feel the familiar dampness of sweat on her forehead. It was 11:30, they had both risen late and were still in their robes when they heard the loud banging coming from behind them.

“Carpenters here already? You only called him an hour ago?” Carol dropped her pencil onto the page she had been working on and turned to look Val, a puzzled look on her face.

“Well it’s not exactly a big city and how many people could need his services at once.” Val shrugged, tightening the belt of her robe and taking a drag as she started into the house. She too, was surprised that the man could be here so soon, she at least wanted to get dressed before he arrived. Oh well, it’s Italy, she was sure he had seen worse.

Opening the door, Val saw a tall man with dirty blonde hair and beads of sweat on the very top of her forehead. He was well built, certainly had more muscles on him than any of the other men she had met in town before and it was hard not to notice that fact because of his outfit choice of a white wifebeater and some grey knee-length cargo shorts, it was almost as if he wanted you to look at him.

“You wanted a handyman?” He asked after a second, a thick Australian accent leaving his lips.

“And you’re the handyman?” Val asked, she already knew he was since she recognised the accent from the phone call, she just decided to make small talk.

“Odinson, Thor.” He shook her hand enthusiastically and stepped into the house almost simultaneously, he didn’t care about small talk. “What do you need fixed?”

“Val, second stair, it’s gone completely.” She gestured towards the gap in her staircase and heard him exhale beside her.

“I can fix it easy, but I don’t think the wood will match the others.” He frowned and looked at her, catching her gaze with his strangely piercing blue eyes, Val looked away almost immediately, almost embarrassed.

“I don’t care about that; how long will it take? How much are you charging?”

“Well I need to go into town to get the wood, but once I’m back it should only take a half hour or so, as for payment I think €30 should do it.” Val was very aware that his eyes were still on her, but she only watched Carol as she came in from the garden with an empty plate.

“Are you the carpenter here to fix my mistake?” She smiled, reaching a hand out and shaking his, far more confident than Val had been during her turn.

“I sure am.” He shot her a smile back and Val felt the random and unexpected flare of jealously in her chest, she shook it off, she had only just met this man for Christ sake.

“I’m going to go take a shower.” She said to Val before hopping over the gap and turning into her room at the top of the stairs.

“She your friend?” Odinson asked, he had watched Carol as she walked up the stairs before starting up a conversation with Val again.

“I only met her yesterday; she’s staying with me for the summer.” She folded her arms. “I’m going to get dressed.” She too stepped over the gap and up the stairs.

“I’ll be back with the wood in fifteen minutes!” She heard him shout up before she shut the door and stood with her back against it for what seemed like an hour.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> when i said this was a slowburn i MEANT IT

The carpenter was true to his word and only took around thirty minutes to mend the stair. Carol was out of the shower by the time he was done, having changed into a floaty white blouse and a pair of paper-bag shorts that had stripes of the three primary colours on them, a pair of worn leather sandals on her feet. Val noticed that the red paint on her toes matched her fingertips as she sat down in the garden chair beside her.

“Hello again.” Danvers smiled, stretching her legs out and letting the midday sun wash over her skin. “I think he’s almost finished.” She added, turning her head to face Val.

“Good. I don’t like strangers in my house.” She had just put on the blue summer dress from yesterday back on. Its not like it had any stains on it, she doubted that Carol cared.

“I’m a stranger.” Carol was right, she was a stranger, but somehow she didn’t feel like one.

“That’s me done.” Odinson walked out of the kitchen onto the patio beside the two women, a small sheen of sweat covering his face as he rubbed his hands on the sides of his shorts.

“Your moneys on the counter.” Val dismissed him without even looking at him, ignoring his eyes to light a cigarette in her mouth, clicking her tongue when her lighter suddenly refused to work. Within a second, the carpenter was by her face holding his own lighter by her mouth. His gaze meeting hers, she noticed slight flecks of green in his blue eyes, it was so subtle that she probably wouldn’t have noticed it if the sun wasn’t shining at this very specific angle.

“Afternoon ladies.” He grinned at Val as he straightened himself and nodded goodbye before leaving, the closing bang of the front door telling the women he had gone.

-

Val was beginning to regret not asking Carol to come on the bike ride with her, insisting the blonde stayed home to focus on the painting she had been working on that morning. Her front wheel had punctured on a small jagged stone on the path and sent her practically flying through the air leaving her with a rather large graze on her forearm and a three mile walk home alone.

It had been two weeks since Danvers’ arrival and surprisingly Val wasn’t detesting her yet, something that surprised her greatly considering her recent attitude towards people. Ever since Ingrid she hadn’t been the most open person on Earth, too mad at God to forgive his creations. Carol looked like her a little in certain lights, the blonde hair, the pale skin that freckled in the sunlight, the way she scrunched her nose when she laughed and tucked her slight curls behind her left ear repeatedly like she had never heard of a hairclip. Their conversation had never stretched past polite small talk really, not that Val minded, she remembered in vivid detail every interaction they had. Despite this, she couldn’t help but feel the wave of guilt in her stomach whenever she allowed herself to think about her new friend.

“Sorry.” She muttered to the sky as she began to turn a corner, only a half hour to go till she could soak in a bath and stop thinking so much.

A few moments later, she stood to the side of the path to let a bike go in front of her since she could hear it coming down the road, she didn’t bother moving her eyes from the ground to see who it was. She just kept walking.

“Tyre trouble?” A familiar accent came from behind her and she turned to see none other than the Aussie carpenter from a few weeks ago. Holding onto a faded green bicycle he squinted at her, a smile stretching over his lips.

“Popped it going over a stone.” She gave a polite smile, taking her sunglasses off her eyes and resting them on the top of her head.

“Fools error.” He began to walk down the path for about a meter before stopping and looking back at her. “You coming?”

“I mean I’m walking that way but you don’t need to walk with me. Carry on cycling.” While some company would be nice, she had met this man once in her life, he could easily be an axe murderer with those arms.

“Shut up and walk.” So she did, the mid-afternoon sun beaming down on them so hard she had no choice but to lower her shades back onto her nose.

“Where had you been going anyway? Before your wheel burst?” He asked a few minutes later.

“To the Duomo.” There was a church in town, but she often went to the one in the next village so she didn’t see anyone she knew, praying was a private affair after all.

“Religious? Or just like the architecture like most tourists?” Val let out a short laugh before replying:

“Religious. And I’m not a tourist, I’ve lived here for years.”

“Never took you for a bible basher.” He shot a glance her way, not that she noticed.

 “You don’t need to be a hardcore Christian to look to God for guidance.” Val kicked a stone ahead of her, already regretting allowing herself this small moment of vulnerability.

They walked a mile in silence, not uncomfortable, they just didn’t feel the need to talk. It was such a beautiful day after all, to talk would disturb the world around them. Checking her watch, Val saw it had just turned four, it crossed her mind that Carol might be wondering where she was, then again it wasn’t unknown to Danvers that Val liked to disappear for a few hours at a time.

“Need to be somewhere.” Odinson asked, having spotted Val’s look at the strap on her wrist.

“Not really, just realised Carol might think I’m dead or something, I’ve been gone for hours.”

“She’s nice, your friend, how do you know her?” Val spotted the top of the tree that grew outside her front door in the distance and thanked the Gods she was almost home.

“Mutual friend thought it would be good for her to get away from New York and good for me to have a friend. I didn’t have much choice in the situation.” A faint smile spread across her lips; in the end it hadn’t been terrible having Carol as a house-guest so far.

“New York! I’ve been trying to work out your accent since I met you.” A chuckle left his lips as the pair turned the corner and started down the street towards Val’s home.

“Yeah well, I don’t live there anymore.” She sighed, quickening her pace just a little.

“Can I ask why?”

“Can I ask why you don’t live in Australia anymore?”

“Fair enough.” He opened the small front gate open for Val as she walked past him with her bike, stopping once she was inside her garden to turn and say a quick goodbye.

“What are you doing tonight?” Odinson asked, standing confidently against the low stone wall attached to the gate. Raising an eyebrow in anticipation.

“Nothing much, going to have a bath then have an early night.” She replied, her heartbeat beginning to race slightly in her chest.

“Come to dinner with me then.”

“Not tonight Odinson.” She had begun to blush and wished desperately for it to stop; she wasn’t _this_ girl.

“Tomorrow then? C’mon Val it’ll be fun.” He held his hands out as if to say ‘why not?’ and stepped back away from the wall.

“Well…” She paused, she had two choices here: overthink and feel guilty, or finally try some of that ‘life’ Banner was always telling her to get. “Alright then.”

Life it was.

“I'll pick you up around seven. Wear something nice.” He shot her a quick wink before climbing onto his bike and peddling off down the road towards town.

Val let out a breathy laugh and allowed the bubble of excitement in her chest to burst as she finally let the grin on her face to come out after trying to force it away for the past few moments. She wasn’t exactly sure how she felt about the Carpenter, whether she liked him or not, but she was happy she was finally doing something for herself and in her heart, she knew Ingrid would be smiling at her if she could.

 _Ingrid._  That really hit her like a truck. For once, Val had actually forgotten about Ingrid and now the bubble of excitement had transformed into a bubble of guilt she couldn’t pop. Glumly walking through the threshold, she kicked off her sandals and padded upstairs to the bath she had been dreaming about for the past forty-five minutes. Stopping in the middle of the hallway as she spotted Carol perched on a stool in her own room, an easel in front of her. She appeared to be painting the trees outside and seemed very focused, so focused she didn’t even notice Val watching her. Deciding to leave her to it, Val stepped into her own bedroom to get ready for her bath, her mind swimming with thoughts of the day.


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this is short, i just wanted to get a chapter out before i go to Venice tomorrow, hope you enjoy!
> 
> (also sorry if the translations arent exact, i used a translator website)

The next morning Val woke up with a start, Ingrid’s name on her lips as beads of sweat made their way down her chest, she wasn’t sure whether they were because of the morning warmth or because of her dream. Although it was only 7:30 at the latest, it was unlikely they were a product of the heat.

Her mind was wide awake from the moment her eyes had snapped open, there was no need to attempt sleep again so she peeled her body from the sheets and pulled on a pair of running shorts from her floor as well as a crumpled tank top and quietly tiptoed her way out of her house, careful not wake up her guest.

The morning air was brisk as Val started jogging towards town, no purpose for her destination apart from to distance her thoughts from anything to do with Ingrid or the carpenter. Every time one of them entered her mind she shook her head slightly and started thinking about Carol instead. Was she enjoying her trip? Did she like Val? Val liked Carol. She was one of the nicer New Yorkers she had met in her life. Thinking about Danvers seemed to calm Val’s heartrate even though it was fast from running, it was a strange feeling but Val felt as though the pair were meant to know each other and she grew slightly sad when she remembered her new friend was leaving in a few weeks.

Without even realising where she was going, Val found herself outside Mafalda’s clothing shop. The old woman was sweeping the floors inside and when she saw the young woman standing awkwardly outside her door, she smiled a wrinkled groan and hobbled over to unlock the door for her.

“Sapere che non mi apro per un'altra ora.”

 _You know I don't open up for another hour_. She called back as she returned to her pile of dirt to dust it into a corner.

“So. Sono Mafalda spiacente.”

 _I know. I’m sorry Mafalda_. Val followed her inside, running her hands absentmindedly against the fabrics around her.

“Avete bisogno di qualcosa?”

_Do you need something?_

In that moment Val’s hands stopped over a mustard yellow dress with thin spaghetti straps and a thin golden belt across the waist. The belt fastener was in the shape of a snake and she ran her fingers across the cold metal of the fastener. Picking up the dress by the hanger, she saw it would just skate against her knees and the fabric was light and flowing.

“Quanto è questo?” She asked Mafalda, the woman turning to look at her.

_How much is this?_

“€15. Guarderà molto grazioso su voi.”

_It will look very pretty on you._

Thanking God she had the common sense to grab her fanny pack before she left the house, she pulled out a €20 note and pressed it into Mafalda’s hand whispering for her to keep the change, before taking the bag the woman had put the dress in and starting her run home.

-

When she closed the front door behind her, Val saw Carol in the kitchen bent over the kitchen counter as she leant on her elbows and nibbled on some toast while she flicked through the book about something or other that she had been reading for the past week.

“Oh, you’re back, I thought you’d been kidnapped or something.” She remarked as a sweaty Val dumped the shopping bag on the counter.

“Yes, well I can see you were very concerned.” She smirked, pulling off her trainers as Carol dived into the bag and pulled out the dress.

“This is beautiful! Special occasion?” She ran her fingers over the belt and looked up at Val, who only began to blush and avert her eyes.

“I’m going out tonight.” She mumbled, taking the dress from Carol’s hands and stuffing it back in the bag.

“With who?” Carol teased in a singsong manner, a grin on her face as she took another bite of her toast.

“Just the carpenter, it’s not a big deal.”

“Like a date?” Carol finished off her toast and stood up to put the plate in the sink.

“I’m going to go take a shower.” Was all Val said as she turned her back on her friend.

-

Pushing a faded gold ring onto her middle finger, Val looked up from her hand to her reflection in the mirror and took a deep breath. Odinson was due to pick her up in a half hour and the slight layer of sweat on her forehead wasn’t just because of the heat.

She hadn’t been on a date since New York, certainly not a first date since Ingrid. Val wasn’t quite sure if she remembered how to do it, how to speak or how to act. For some unexplained reason Carol’s face kept appearing in the back of her mind, the grin the blonde girl gave her after she preformed a near perfect cartwheel on Val’s lawn or the way her eyebrows furrowed when she focused on the sketch she was working on that day.

A gentle knock from behind her made Val turn her head to see the very girl on her mind standing in her bedroom doorway, her blonde locks tied up in a messy ponytail and her lips in a subtle smirk.

“Well look at you all dolled up.” She sat herself down at the very edge of Val’s bed, Val turning on her stool to face her.

“Yeah well, I might just cancel.” She sighed, her shoulders slouching as she fought the urge to rub her eyes and spread mascara around her face.

“You are not cancelling! You are going out tonight even if I have to drag you out this house myself.” Carol lay on her back and spread her arms out across the duvet, feeling the material on her skin.

“Fine, I’ll go just to stop you from making a fool of yourself.” The edges of Val’s lips curled up slightly.

“What could go wrong? Realistically?” Carol propped her hand underneath her head and sat herself up on her elbow, turning to look at Val.

“I don’t know…I just haven’t been on a date in years.”

“Okay well, why is that?” She had a devilish grin on her lips and her eyes were full of curiosity, so Val allowed herself a moment of vulnerability.

“I um, I had a partner a few years ago, in New York. They died.” She closed her eyes for a few moments before opening them again and clearing her throat. “I moved here to forget the whole thing.”

Carol waited a whole before replying, mulling her response over in her mind. “Sometimes shitty things happen to people who don’t deserve them. It doesn’t mean you live in those moments forever.”

“Very profound.” Was all Val replied.

A low rumbling made its way up the street outside before it came to a halt outside, Val stood up and looked out of her dirty window to see Odinson coming off a black motorbike just outside her garden wall. Taking a shaky breath, she stilled her slightly shaking hands and turned to look at Carol with nervous eyes.

“It’ll be alright, this isn’t the end of the world.” A kind smile on her lips she cautiously wrapped her arms around Val’s tense body and squeezed just a little. “I’ll wait up for you. Be brave.”

-

“Nice dress.” Odinson called to her as she shut her front door and began walking towards him.

“Nice wheels. I hope you don’t expect me to ride that thing.” Val replied, something about the smirk on his face calmed her nerves.

“Well we could walk if you want? But I have a reservation in ten minutes so we’d probably have to sprint it.” He hoisted himself onto the leather seat and gestured to the space behind him. “Hop on and hold on.”

Hesitantly, Val almost turned around and went back inside the safety of her home and her wine and her Carol. Until Carol’s words began bouncing around her skull. _Be brave._ A wave of confidence washed over her and she lifted her leg over the seat and adjusted herself, holding tightly onto Odinson’s torso for balance.

“Try not to let go.” Was all the warning he gave before the bike sped off down the dirt track towards town.


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> *billy eichner voice* LET'S GO LESBIANS LETS GO
> 
> its finally beginning i'm glad you've stuck around long enough for this to become an actual valcarol fic, you all deserve medals

The sun had long since set by the time Val Thompson and her carpenter friend stumbled out of the restaurant with drunk giggles on their lips and rosy blushes painted across their cheeks. A glass of wine too many had rendered them teenagers again and suddenly the world appeared to have been washed over with golden paint, making everything seem shiny and perfect. Without even realising, Val had let her guard down and was actually enjoying herself for the first time in years, his casual touches on her waist that once would have sent her into a frenzy were now welcomed and her hands no longer trembled at the thought of returning said touches.

Passing by the church across from the restaurant towards Odinson’s bike, Val found her back suddenly against the wall as a pair of lips attached themselves to the skin on her neck as a rather large hand remained solidly fixed on the small of her back. Instinctively she lifted her leg around his waist and was surprised to feel her petite body be hoisted off the ground completely. He was incredibly strong, being a carpenter and all.

Wrapping her arms around his neck Val felt the graze of his closely trimmed hair on the back of his head on her skin as she tangled her fingers in the slightly longer locks on the top of her head.

“We can’t do this against a church.” She breathed, laughing again as she felt his mouth smile against her collarbone.

“I dunno about that, maybe God’s just a big perv.” He gave a deep chuckle that vibrated slightly against her skin. “Then again, my place is only a few minutes away…” He trailed off a little, lifting his face from her neck and looking at her with a hopeful expression in his eyes.

She thought for a moment, and in the end, that was her mistake.

“I can’t.”

“That’s alright.” He planted a soft kiss on her forehead before lowering her gently back onto solid ground with a sad smile on his lips.

“I’m sorry.” She smoothed out the wrinkles on her skirt, an entirely different type of blush beginning to flourish on her cheeks as she felt the slight prick of tears threatening to spill through her lashes and began to blink them away.

“Don’t be sorry, its all good.” He picked up the purse from the ground that she had dropped in the flurry of mouths and hands. “Come on, I’ll give you a ride home.”

She clutched tightly onto Odinson’s torso as they sped through the warm night air back towards her house. The only sounds Val could hear was the rumble of the engine and the whistling of the wind in her ears. Strangely, she felt safer than she had the whole night when she was on that bike, even with the very likely chance she could be thrown off and killed at any particular moment. Her mind felt clear as she began to match her breathing with the rise and fall of the man’s chest she was so desperately clinging onto.

Something about him felt steady, like a rock. He was certainly reliable and sweet, if not just a little irritating at times, and while the things he did to her at the church felt unbelievably good, she lacked that burning feeling in her chest that she had when she first met Ingrid. Then again, maybe that was a once in a lifetime feeling and she was stupid to believe that she could ever feel anything close to it again, maybe settling for someone good and kind like Thor Odinson was what she needed.

“Forgive me if I don’t invite you in.” She made a feeble attempt at a joke to lighten the mood but only ended up cringing at herself and avoiding his eyes.

“Wouldn’t want to wake your friend.” He listed his hand to her cheek and softly ran his fingers against her skin. “Don’t think she would appreciate the noise.”

Cautiously, he moved his fingers so they cupped her cheek while ever so slightly tipping her head upwards to face his before gently pressing his lips to hers for just a moment. When he pulled away, she still had her eyes closed and her chest felt like a million butterflies were swarming around inside her.

“You take care of yourself.” When she opened her eyes again he was gone.

-

The light threatened to blind her if she didn’t get out of bed, midday sun was always the bane of her existence after all. Groaning, she grabbed the pillow beside her head and let it fall onto her face, would she suffocate? Who cared at this point, she just wanted a decent fucking sleep. Flashes of the night before were beginning to irritate her and she wished there was a way to get rid of memories permanently without risking brain damage, then again this wasn’t the first time she had wondered this and it certainly wouldn’t be the last.

A light tapping at her door seemed to drill its way into her skull and there was no way to block it out that didn’t involve an abundance of sleeping pills and a glass of water.

“What?” She grumbled, lifting the pillow off of her face and allowing oxygen to enter her lungs again.

“It’s Carol. I made you toast.” A soft voice came from outside her door. Somehow, just the sound of her friend’s voice made Val’s brain calm down and she took a deep breath before sitting up and sorting her mess of a blunt bob haircut out as much as she could before mumbling a “come in”.

“I thought you might be hungry. I would’ve brought you some wine too but I don’t want to encourage your bad habits.” There was a hint of playfulness that Carol’s voice always had, something that always made everything seem just a little bit better no matter the circumstance.

“You’re an angel Danvers.” Val replied as a small plate of slightly burnt toast arrived on her lap, a blonde sitting on the edge of her bed beside where her legs were hidden under the sheet.

“You have fun last night? I heard you come back quite early.” She cocked an eyebrow as if to say ‘did you fuck or not?’.

“Ugh don’t even make me remember.” Val groaned, taking a bite of her toast which turned out not to be as burnt as it looked.

“Right, now you must tell me everything.” Carol insisted, crawling under the sheet beside Val, both women in their short pyjama’s, making Val remember all the sleepovers she had she was a little girl where they’d sit and gossip about boys and wonder what it will be like when they finally get their first period.

“It was all good until he asked me to come back to his place. Then I panicked and he took me home.” She sighed, suddenly not hungry at all and putting the half-eaten plate on her bedside table.

“Well if you weren’t into it then it’s your choice if you want to go back with him or not.” Even for the 90’s Carol was more progressive than most women Val knew, she respected that greatly.

“No that’s the thing, I was into it, I’m just incapable of accepting love apparently.” She wasn’t emotional about the situation, it was something she had accepted a long time ago, even before Ingrid’s death.

“Now that’s just not true.” Carol argued, placing a comforting hand in Val’s’, a movement that caused electricity to race up Val’s arm and straight into her chest. Her eyes widened as the sparks of the fire she felt with Ingrid began to ignite in her heart all over again.

“You are amazing Val Thompson. You’ll find someone who makes you feel just as loved as your ex did, you have my word.”


End file.
